The Right Way to Tone Your Skin
Life is a balancing act, and good skin is no different. Toning is often the forgotten piece of a skincare routine. While "sprays and spritzes" are trendy, there is something to be said for a good old-fashioned cotton pad tone. Here is why!
Toning finishes the cleanse
What about a double cleanse? Skin MPLS has never been overly enthusiastic about the double cleanse. The reason is that performing a thorough 1-2 minute cleanse with Vivant Skincare cleansers gets the job done. But if you wear a lot of makeup, you can double cleanse or use a little Bioderma Micellar Water to remove the bulk of your makeup before cleansing or swipe away any traces of eye makeup that remain once after cleansing. We're not against double cleansing; we just don't want to overwhelm or create one more barrier for our clients. We try to simplify your routine, especially in the beginning!
To us, it's more critical to tone following your cleanse than to perform a double cleanse. Toning will ensure you remove all the dirt and makeup from your skin; it's a way to control the quality of your cleanse! Frequently, grime gets stuck in our neck, jawline, nose creases, and up by our scalp. And, if you haven't noticed, those are all common breakout spots! While you can use micellar water before and after a cleanse to ensure you are clean, using a toner will benefit your skin more! And if you're already doing a step, it's best to maximize it!
Toning removes hard water and cleansing residue
Water contains good and bad minerals and deposits that will stick around on your skin. Also, your cleanser most likely has sulfates or soap-like agents that can stay a little sudsy on your skin if you don't tone. Using a toner will wipe all traces of everything off for that squeaky clean shine. While the whole pH balance reason to use a toner is a bit outdated since cleansers have come so far in recent decades, you can still think of your toner as an excellent balancer for your face!
Toning preps for serum delivery
Don't just spend on serums. While serums are typically your spendier piece of skincare, you want to invest in the toner, too. The toner creates a perfect canvas so that your serum goes on smoothly. It's like a primer to prep your skin. If you put serum on skin with mineral deposits and soap residue, that serum will have to work that much harder to get through. But if you use a toner, it doesn't have to work hard and can just do its thing to the max!
Toning is extremely helpful for acne-prone skin and congested pores
For clients who are having a hard time getting to full clear-skin status, we’ve often seen it to be because they skip the toner. Toning is the best way to dissolve the oil and buildup in the pores, giving you the appearance of smaller pores. Toners like Sal-C and 3% Mandelic Acid are key components in the acne-clearing process with AHA’s and BHA’s to help wipe acne away!
Toning removes flaking skin and can hydrate the skin
Most people would skip the tone if they are dry. That can be a mistake. If you are dry, reach for Skin Nourishing, Moisture Balance, or Calming Toner. These toners will infuse hydration into your skin and remove the micro-flaking that builds up and causes uneven skin and redness around the nose and mouth.
Okay, now that you are wondering why we didn’t tell you to tone years ago, let’s talk about when it’s okay to skip it and what about the trendy sprays out there!
We have loved the Iso Cell Recovery Solution since about the beginning of Skin MPLS. During the pandemic, we discovered it was a great product to help with the whole mask-chafing situation. And we still love it for infusing your skin with good-for-your-skin minerals, traveling, and pre/post-workout. You can use Iso Cell Recovery Solution on a cotton pad as a hydrating toner to make sure you are fully clean. However, if it's the morning and you are not currently breaking out, it can be sprayed on the skin after you cleanse and before your serums to add even more glow and hydration! For extra skin brownie points, first tone and then use Iso Cell Recovery Solution to spray on top of nourishing and hydrating serums and masks to recharge them!
If you have mature skin, dry skin, no acne, budget concerns, time constraints, etc., we may have told you to pass on toning temporarily. But, if you are reading this, you obviously have interest and care about your skin. So, with many affordable toner options and the mere 15 seconds it takes to tone, we think it’s time for you to take your regimen to the next level!